Parasite Awaiting
by Wolfox Okamichan
Summary: The Aparoids may be gone, but that doesn't mean a worse alien swarm can't invade Lylat once more. With these new invaders, what must the heroes of the Aparoid Invasion do?
1. First Signs

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

* * *

**_Chapter 1 – First Signs_**

_Months have passed since Aparoids attacked the Cornerian Military Force. Star Fox, along with Star Wolf and the people at the Orbital Gate, was able to stop the Queen. The threat to the system was no more… at least for the time being…_

"If our resources are true, then that means this system is doomed unless we stop it."

Wulf McWolf, a light-blue furred lupine with slight shades of grey wearing a thick space suit and a helmet, gave a comment to his communicator as he slowly inspected the ground he was stepping on. "Bark, can you give me the status of this abandoned science facility?"

_Hmm… scanning… scanning… There! According to the data, Rutherford Institute was functioning even during the time of the Aparoids attack in Lylat System. It was only disabled recently… Hmm… with this information, I'm positive that we're correct. Now we have to work even harder… Be careful Wulf!_

"I will…"

The wolf opened up a beaten door. His light source was thankfully working, allowing him to see the place. It was so dark, and the lights of the facility were out. He let his torch lit the right wall and a sign took his attention.

"Laboratory, huh? This must be it…"

_Be careful, Wulf. I have a bad feeling about that place._

"I know… I already felt that since the time I first stepped in this place…"

He slowly walked the place, keeping a slow pace to avoid anything. He knew there was something in the abandoned facility that was out of the ordinary… and there it was!

"Bingo, Bark! Here it is!"

_Yes, organic readings are present. Be careful…_

Wulf grabbed a small cylinder-like device from a holster on his belt. He pushed a button, and it released a light blue beam, halting after having a good length. It was like a blade of a katana… his weapon resembled a futuristic katana, whose blade is made of laser.

"I'll get you…"

He fired a flare from his torch, and it made everything visible… and he was astounded from what he just saw. A large capsule filled with dark-violet matter surprised him.

"I've found it. Okay Bark, how do I shut this thing down?"

_Look for the stabilizer control panel around the place. It should have one. It maintains the life of the matter. You need to disable it._

"Roger that… Wait…"

Something took Wulf's eyes. When he glanced at the side of the capsule, violet liquid was dripping. The floor also has a puddle of the liquid. The lupine missed a heartbeat.

"This looks like trouble, Bark…"

Suddenly, somebody grabbed him from behind. It was an ambush! Wulf dropped his weapon to the floor, so he has to resort to fists. However, his struggle was useless. He glanced at his back, seeing his attacker a mindless scientist with violet eyes… creepy eyes.

"Damn it! Let go!"

_Wulf?__ Wulf! Is everything okay there?_

He could not answer. Communication was cut off. Another scientist came and crushed the covering of his helmet, and his hand grabbed the muzzle of the wolf. Violet liquid poured from his hands, and it traveled to the lupine's nose and mouth.

_Oh no…__ This is bad… Garou, Lupina, Eagle, Wulf's in danger… Wulf… in… danger… Wulf…_

The signal was cut off. All was a sign of failure to the mission.

Wulf knelt down and coughed. He has never experienced anything in his life resembling this. Was his body… being invaded by the parasites? Impossible, for his cells have been fused with the living metal called Anatyde… rendering him useless from any sort of disease or parasitic invasion… unless… no… Nothing can surpass Anatyde… If there ever was… then that means…

* * *

"Take that, Fox!"

Wolf shouted furiously on his HUD as he chased the vulpine at the great canyons of Fortuna. "You can't get away from me, Fox!" He quickly fired a volley of shots, but it missed, just as he expected. "Hmph! I wouldn't expect less from you!"

"Hey Wolf, I'll keep your words of wisdom!" Fox replied from his HUD to the lupine. "When the time comes, don't hesitate. Just act! You know, it really saved me bunch times. But enough talk! Take this!" He let loose with a barrage of laser shots.

The Wolfen did a barrel roll, deflecting the beams. It was such an intense fight… until…

**KABOOM!**

A large powerful beam was suddenly shot from up above. Fox evaded it, but unluckily, the right wing of Wolf's Wolfen got hit, and it sent him crashing. Krystal was hit too, causing Panther to panic.

"I knew it was a bad idea to spar off in the open field!" Slippy, who was watching the fight inside the Landmaster, whined from the scene. "You're lucky you guys called me as a score keeper, otherwise no one will be able to pick you up!" He immediately rushed to the crash sites of Krystal and Wolf, and quickly inspected them.

Wolf's right arm received injury, and his forehead and mouth was bleeding, not to mention his left leg being crushed by the wing. Krystal met the same fate, only her body was being crushed by the console of the Arwing.

Panther quickly rushed towards Krystal, while Leon helped Slippy get Wolf to the Landmaster. Fox also helped Panther. Falco was the one who was doing nothing.

"I like to help, but there's nothing for me to do, since you guys already occupied them!" he commented as he shrugged. However, he glanced at the sky, wondering what happened. "I sure do want to know what caused the attack earlier…"

* * *


	2. First Steps

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

* * *

**_Chapter 2 – The First Step_**

"Damn it!"

Bark Arfie, a brown dog with thick eyeglasses wearing white scientist robes, cursed himself and the event as Garou, Lupina, and Eagle retrieved Wulf's body. They were able to grab him out of the place, but the three were also horrified from what they saw.

"It was hard getting him out of there," Garou Kelvin, a white slender but muscular wolf donning a sleeveless green military jacket, vest, black boots, and black camo pants, panted as he laid a body covered with white sheets on to a bed.

Lupina Klaus, a female wolf with light brown fur and long black hair, wearing a red jacket, a short sleeveless pink top ending at her stomach, knee-high socks, white short boots, and short blue pants, also complained about their situation earlier. "The place was all so messy! It's hard to believe that that place used to be a science facility."

"It was a bio-chemical lab, Lu," Eagle Gerald, the tall, good build, bald eagle with scarlet wings on his back, donning a red bandanna, red sleeveless shirt, brown pants, and leather sandals, commented while he glanced at her. He felt quite worried when he saw Wulf. "Bark, you ought to take a look at Wulf… It's bad…"

The brown dog adjusted his glasses and nodded, "It's not bad… it's worse…" He took off the white sheet covering the lupine, and he was shocked, but only for a slight, since he knew this happened. "No… This is impossible… There's Anatyde in Wulf's blood. How can he be infected? Unless… the parasites are a lot stronger… this is bad…"

He slowly removed the sheets covering the infected Wulf. He was never like this before. His left arm now resembled a biological robotic arm of some sort. His left cheek showed signs of the parasite invading his nervous system. His chest already acquired metallic parts. Bark never encountered such phenomenon. Even if he's the smartest member of the team, and he's made different rescues and breakthroughs, for the first time, he felt unsure about this up to the point that he's questioning his own skills.

"This is going to be tough. The parasite in his body spreads fast. Even his Anatyde-fused cells couldn't fight the invaders."

Suddenly, Wulf opened his eyes. His left eye has a different color. From blue, it became dark yellow. He panted and growled, as pain slowly conjured inside his body.

_Hurry guys… Kill me! Don't let me… kill and infect you…_

His left arm thrust forward, trying to grab Bark's collar, but Eagle quickly restrained him. For a while, Bark thought it would be the end of Galaxy Wulf, their team, as well as the mission… Lylat would be in shambles if they let this pass!

"His arm… I know what to do…"

"What are you going to do, Bark?" Lupina asked with nervousness.

"I may not be able to remove the parasite in his body, but I can restrict them from invading his other organs by trapping it… and the best place is his left arm. Hopefully, his _will to live_ could make his Anatyde strong enough to prevent the parasite from scattering…"

* * *

"Oxygen intake increased! Blood supply readied!"

Slippy nervously placed Wolf and Krystal inside the sickbay of Great Fox. He, with the help of the others, placed the unconscious bodies to the empty beds and immediately treated them.

"Damn Wolf, I knew playing on Fortuna was a bad idea," Panther growled as he looked at Krystal. "He's so impulsive! He should've at least given some thought about the _battlefield_ if it was free from laser blasts!"

Fox patted his back. "I don't think you should blame Wolf about this. I think that photon blast was all of a sudden. Besides, he's not that only person who's in dire state!"

"I know! That's why I'm worried."

Panther just sighed with worries. Even if fighting Star Fox, he was careful not to injure his _petit_ to a certain degree. Heck, he wished that Wolf would just forget about sparring with them for the sake of her.

Leon fumbled as he crossed his arms, "Don't tell me we have to stick with you until Wolf snaps back." He hated staying with them, and the fact that he couldn't stand being in a room with Falco. He exited the place, and at the same time, Peppy entered the room. He looked angry.

"Fox McCloud, I thought you're more than this! How can you be so irresponsible about your teammates!" he scolded him in a strict tone. "Why did you wish to go on sparring? Is the virtual training simulation mode not enough?"

"Not my fault, Peppy," he argued back. "Wolf challenged me, and well, there's no way around it when he started to challenge somebody."

"Then you should've just ignored him!"

"That would be a hard thing to do," Falco reasoned out to cut any upcoming lectures. "Knowing _Lord_ O'Donnell, we couldn't just say we don't want to fight and tiptoe away."

"Besides, their sparring wasn't the cause of the incident," Slippy added also a fact, "it's from a photon shoot coming from an unknown source…"

_Message from General Pepper_…_ Priority One._

Rob announced from the speakers. Fox replied in confirmation, revealing a monitor from a wall.

"What is general?"

"Star Fox, thank goodness you're there!" General Pepper, the one on the other side of the communication, replied with uneasiness. "Mechanical robots just appeared out of nowhere! They dropped at Corneria City, and are now making trouble! Defense Force fighters already made an assault, but the situation is bad. We need your help!"

"Yes, sir! Star Fox and Star Wolf will be on their way."

"Star Wolf?"

Panther glanced at him with wonder. General Pepper also wondered.

"Yes, Star Wolf," Fox expounded his answer. "I'm one-man, or woman, short, and since Star Wolf's here for a visit, I'll just have to ask them for assistance." He then looked at Panther, and growled, "Besides, you have to make amends, even if it's not your fault."

* * *

Wulf woke up with an uneasy feeling. He felt that it was his last time breathing air. He then noticed his left arm covered with bandage, and a strange shoulder pad on his left shoulder.

_That's a supersonic stabilizer._

Bark entered the room, clearing Wulf's missing information. "That should keep your cells in a good condition. By the way… Sorry, Wulf… I wasn't able to cure your condition. I was able to stabilize the parasite in your left arm, but I couldn't remove them…"

"It's okay… I know you did your best," Wulf replied in a low tone as he rubbed his left arm. "I wonder… what this looks like…"

"What did I tell you before, Wulf? If I wasn't able to successfully do something, then I didn't do my best!" Bark cracked up, making the wolf smile. "Oh yes, the facility suddenly charged towards the capital planet of Lylat – Corneria. Can you still do this mission with that condition?"

"Hey, I am ambidextrous, Bark, so I can," he smiled back as he stood up from the bed. "Besides, two things are running in my mind now. Save the system. Get revenge… All right, tell the guys to set a course to the planet. We have to stop these parasites."

* * *


	3. Assault

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

Thanks for those reviews of yours! I really appreciate them! Well, I know there's one review that's, uh… I don't want to talk about it! I appreciate your support!

* * *

**_Chapter 3 – Assault_**

_All systems are on-line. Prepare to disengage from Great Fox._

Great Fox flew over Corneria City. The docking bay then opened up. Three Arwings and two Wolfens were readying their G-diffusers and their power core. After a few seconds, they took off from the starship, and they entered the city heights.

"Take a look at this," Falco noted Fox in the HUD of the Arwing, "the city's being rampaged by bots! And look, the Cornerian fighters are being swatted down like flies!"

"Not only that," Slippy added as he showed images acquired using the sensors of his Arwing model. "Take a look at this." The pictures showed different vehicles covered with violet substance slowly molding and morphing into robots. "It seems that the substance changes the vehicles into robots. We have to be very careful not to let our fighters get close to that thing!"

Leon suddenly entered the conversation. "Enough talk! If you want us to be a part of this _mission_, then I say we take these abominations right away! Chatting won't help at all." He then zoomed forward, followed by Panther. Star Fox trailed with them while keeping a watchful eye.

Fox headed down to the streets, and repeatedly shot down the ground force. It was all too easy. Civilians were nowhere to be found, for they must've evacuated. All's clear for his volley of lasers.

The other pilots scattered around the city area, shooting down every robot they meet. It was all smooth sailing. However, troubles slowly appeared, for the enemy number increased.

"Watch each other's back! It's too dangerous to be reckless!"

Fox's words of wisdom were right. A large bulb-like robot with a large, thick, tentacle-like wire on its top appeared at the Central Square of the city. Slippy was almost caught by the appendage, but Panther was keeping an eye on him, so he was able to blast the member.

"Be careful, Toad! If you wish to live, you better keep your senses up!" the panther growled at the frog.

However, he was unaware of the robot. A new tentacle grew, and it seized the Wolfen. Slippy tried to fire a bomb, but the blast only damaged the vehicle and not the member. In panic, he asked Fox and everybody else for help.

"Fox, Falco, Leon, everyone, a large robot got Panther! He's in bad shape!"

The tentacle slowly tightened its grip, crushing the Wolfen at a gradual pace. Slippy tried to communicate with him, but all he got in his HUD was static, and yells of pain. He tried to fire lasers, but his weapons were ineffective.

"Slipster, we're here!"

Falco enlightened the toad. Fox and Leon quickly made a dive to the bulb-like area and fired bombs. Falco continued to fire charged laser shots. When they're almost running out of ideas, they decided to do something dangerous.

"All right, we have no choice but to short circuit a fighter and crash it to the robot," Fox commanded them. "I'll do it. I am responsible for Wolf's men, and I'm pretty sure he won't be happy to see one man missing permanently."

_Hold your horses, man!_

A blue comet-like bomb suddenly made an appearance. It darted towards the tentacle, creating an explosion. It didn't cause any damage, but the member was frozen. Four fighters of different designs made an entrance. Somehow, those four fighters were allied even with varied designs. A white wolf appeared on Star Fox's and Star Wolf's HUD.

_Don't worry! The ice wolf has already chilled the foe!_

"Who are these gate crashers?" Leon rudely asked them.

_We're friends. Don't attack us!_

"Well, who ever you are, we need your help," Fox asked them. "A friend, err, crew was caught in the tentacle! We used our weapons but it wasn't effective."

_It needs a powerful blast._

Somebody, probably a pilot of one of the fighters, responded. An attack aircraft suddenly thrust forward, hitting the bulb and damaging it severely. Reactions were heard through the HUD.

_Wulf! Hey, what did he just do?_

_He's being impulsive again, Eagle._

_It must be the leader thing…_

"Who are these people?" Slippy wondered as he tried to communicate with them, but before he could do so, he looked at the robot. "Um… Problem once more! It's still alive!"

* * *

Wulf landed on the ground after ejecting himself from his fighter. "This is getting tough… It's still moving," he thought as he looked up. He did make damage, but it didn't stop the robot. He looked around, and it seemed that the big robot's the last enemy. "I have to do something… otherwise…"

_My arm…?_

His left arm suddenly ached for a while. "Wha…? I feel… I feel like… I need to," he whispered as he slowly unwrapped most of the bandages on his limb. It revealed his infected part, the one that acted as a vessel for the parasite. As he finished removing the covering, he tucked it in his pocket, and attempted to move it… Yes! It moved.

_If I have to… I'll use the parasite's power to destroy this abomination…_

He closed his eyes. Suddenly, an orb of perpetual light formed in his cupped robotic arm. He then rushed towards the robot and pushed this ball of energy to it. Suddenly, the mechanical thing was enveloped with light. A big flash erupted, and the robot decimated. The Wolfen fell down quickly, along with the tentacle.

Wulf wrapped the bandages back, and climbed to the vehicle. As he opened the cockpit, he noticed Panther. He was slammed to the console, and his forehead was bleeding. He took him out, but because of his handicap, he was only able to get him out of the Wolfen.

Arwings, a Wolfen, and three other fighters landed near the site. The pilots immediately rushed towards him, and helped carry Panther.

"We have to take him to the hospital immediately. He's in serious condition," Fox told Wulf without making a glance. "We'll introduce to each other when we get there." He and Leon carried the panther and placed him in Leon's Wolfen. "I suggest you three to follow us."

"He sounds like you, Wulf," Eagle smiled back at their hampered leader, who also gave a grinning reply.

* * *

_Many minutes later, inside the hospital, after their introduction, a new alliance was formed…_

"It was nothing, Fox," Wulf replied with a complimented manner. He just shook hands with Fox. "I'm just worried about your teammate. Will he be okay?"

"Panther?" the vulpine replied while looking down. "Well, you see… He…"

_Fox…_

Fox McCloud turned around. He saw Wolf, and he still has his injuries. "Oh, Wolf… I…"

The wolf just pushed him away. Was he blocking his path? He glanced at Fox for a while, but he left him with bitter words. _If anything happens to him, you'll regret ordering **my** team again_.

"Who's he?" Garou asked as he grumbled from Wolf's attitude. "I don't like him. I hate suave people like him…"

"No… I think I deserve that," the vulpine remarked them as he stood up from the lupine's push. "He's Wolf O'Donnell, leader of Star Wolf, a rival team. Well, his teammates aided me in this mission, but I ended up injuring one of them… and that's Panther… He's not my teammate." Everyone was then clarified from his answer. "Oh, I have to check on him. See you later, okay?" He then walked away, leaving Galaxy Wulf crew.

Wulf neared Bark. He saw an injured dog soldier being brought to ICU, which gave him a nervous feeling. It made the smart dog wonder. "Bark, I have something to tell you…"

"What's it about?" the smart member of the team wondered. "Oh, and tell me about how you blew the robot up. I'm confident that the kamikaze move you made was not the reason."

"My left arm… It suddenly reacted when I wished for strength to dispose the abomination… I am getting nervous," he told him while looking around. "Also, these soldiers, even Panther… I think… I think they're already infected…"

* * *


	4. Infestation

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

Thanks for those reviews of yours! I really appreciate them! Well, I know there's one review that's, uh… I don't want to talk about it! I appreciate your support!

* * *

**_Chapter 4 - Infestation_**

"So you're telling me that your infested left arm just created perpetual energy, huh?" Bark remarked as he looked at Wulf's bandaged limb. "Although I must admit that its power is great, I think it's a bad sign. The parasite just anticipated your desire, and it'll slowly devour you until you allow yourself to be infected by it."

"So this might cause enmity among us, eh?" Eagle commented in a humorous manner. "I guess you should learn to clear your mind. We don't want to fight you!" Wulf gave a smile, but he then became serious after thinking about something.

"I still have my nervousness… The injured soldiers, including Panther…"

Lupina then marched in front of them. "You know, the best way to know if your hunch is right or not is to check him out." She suggested. Garou walked beside her and patted her shoulder.

"That's what I like about you, Lu! Always thinking the sweetest things…"

She shouldered him to his stomach, making Bark and Eagle laugh. Everybody agreed to her hint. They walked towards the room where Panther's located. As they were about to press a button, two people caught up with them. An old hare and a young beautiful vixen approached them.

"Excuse me! Is this Panther Caroso's room?" she asked them. "Oh, and are you friends of him?"

Garou cleared his throat before saying anything. "Well you see, miss, and should I say Miss Beautiful, we're just acquaintances, but we're to check on him. After all, we need to make sure that he's in an okay condition." He spoke those statements out before the she-wolf knocked his head to the wall.

"Ah, you must be Galaxy Wulf! Fox mentioned you in his com-link. We thank you for your support," Peppy Hare nodded at them, showing gratification. He then faced Wulf and smiled, "You must be Wulf McWolf. My, my, you do have a good appearance for a leader. I'm pretty sure you're skilled too! I believe you're in par to Fox's talents."

"Well, I'm complemented, thank you! I'm not really that great, though…"

"Believe me Wulf, you can do better," Bark spoke in a low tone, making everybody look at him. "Ahem… Anyway, we should be going now."

The door opened. As they slid to the walls, they were surprised to see Fox and Wolf pointing their fists to each other's cheeks. Falco's in the middle, stopping the two from hurting each other. Slippy's monitoring the weakened Panther on bed. Leon's glancing to the view at the window.

Peppy immediately cut the two from killing each other. He shouted in front of them, "What do you think are you doing? Can't you see that somebody's sick? **He needs some rest, so lay off the steam!**"

"It's Wolf's fault," Fox argued as Falco tried to hold him back. "He wants Panther to be discharged in the hospital! I can't allow him to do that! I told him Star Fox would be in charge of the financial problem, since it's my fault anyway, but…"

The lupine suddenly snarled, "He's my teammate! I had enough of you trying to act _heroic_ to **my** team! Sargasso Space Station has equipment to fix his injuries."

Garou suddenly leaped and landed between them. He threw a punch on both of them at the same time, but he stopped his fists as soon as they almost touched their muzzles. "Stop acting like kids. Sheesh, you're making me look like an old man! It's not my type to give advice like _O' Wise Eagle_, but I think it's a good idea to cool down, ya know! Somebody's resting, so I think you guys otta simmer outside."

Fox and Wolf stared at each other with fiery emotions. They took off and went to different directions. After that, Krystal approached Panther, and Eagle and Peppy looked at the ice wolf.

"_O' Wise Eagle_, eh?" the avian chuckled as he patted the lupine's back. "I think you ought to stop taking meditation lessons from me! I might be in my thirties, but I'm definitely not fitting to the **_O'_** title."

Wulf whispered at Peppy, "I know why those two are hot-headed. Fox wanted to help them, but Wolf has pride. I think he should understand that…"

"I know… Also," the hare added, "I think Wolf's getting insecure. He and McCloud are rivals, and, well, since the day Star Fox and Star Wolf became _close_, Fox started to help Wolf's team, making their leader, Wolf, a bit unsure of his leadership."

"I see…"

"Panther," Krystal softly spoke out as she touched the black cat's palm. "I'm sorry if I worried you…"

_Ah… Krystal…_

He replied in a weak manner. His vision was also blurry, but her scent was familiar for him. Her voice was also noticeable.

_I… never… wished… for you to see… me like… this…_

"Don't say that! Promise me, okay? Promise me that you'll be fine…"

_Okay… I will…_

His eyes shut down. It's time for him to sleep. Krystal just sighed out, looking at the poor feline.

Lupina approached Leon, which was actually a bad idea. "The view is fantastic up here, right?" she cheerfully proclaimed as she stood beside the chameleon. No response was met. "Umm… Nice day!" she once more declared, but silence replied. Anger was steaming in her head. It's a bad idea to mess with her. "**_CAN'T YOU AT LEAST SAY YES!_**"

The lizard was startled from her yell. "All right already! The day is okay!" he angrily snorted back sarcastically. His thoughts then stirred inside of him. _Tough girl… She reminds me of Katt…_

After browsing the magazines, Slippy was attracted by Wulf's bandaged arm. He approached the blue lupine and asked, "Um, Wulf, is your arm heavily injured? I think the medical equipment here could…"

"This is nothing really! It's just style...!" he excused himself before sighing in relief.

* * *

_It was nighttime…_

Panther woke up. He looked around, and it seemed everybody was asleep. He looked at the floor, and he saw Wulf, Falco, and Garou, fighting for the available space of a medium-sized bed sheet. Wolf was on a couch and Fox's on another one. Krystal and Lupina were snoozing on a sofa. Leon was sleeping just beside a coffee table. Peppy was sleeping on a separate sheet on the floor. Finally, Bark was sleeping on another couch.

"Thank you, everyone," he moaned as he carefully went to the bathroom. His slow and agile movement assured that his companions wouldn't be bothered.

He opened the sink. He washed his face, and glanced at the mirror. He wiped away with his towel. He then took off his hospital robes, leaving only his shorts. He yawned without worry, for everything seemed okay.

His stomach didn't feel well. His head was aching like there's no tomorrow. His chest started to ache and expand. He returned to the sink, this time, he vomited to it. He couldn't hold his pain anymore. His right arm started to feel numb. Violet fluid exited from his mouth, and slowly, the parasite's infecting him.

Wolf was awoken by the noise. He looked at the bathroom, which was lit. He accidentally stepped on Falco's tail feathers, making him yell because of the pain, thus waking everybody up.

"Can't you scream later," groggy Fox muttered as he threw a pillow at the bird. "I'm trying to get some perfect rest…"

"Forget sleeping… Something's wrong!" the lupine argued otherwise.

Wulf was suddenly shocked by the slight anguish of his left arm. He glanced at Bark, who was wide-awake.

_Bark, my arm… It's telling me something…_

_This is interesting… Don't let your guard down…_

Panther, now having glossy fur and a large metal-plated right arm with a metal collar on his neck and wires wrapped around his waist down to his upper thighs, roared out loudly. He ruined the walls of the room, giving everybody an alarm to wake up.

"Panther, what… what happened to you?" Wolf asked as he approached him.

_No!_

Wulf pulled him back. The infested Caroso swung his weapon-arm to the wolves, but the wolf with bandaged left arm blocked it using that limb of his.

_This is what I feared of happening…_

"Uh-oh…"

Slippy whined as he opened the door of the room. He saw dog soldiers crawling out from their rooms, slowly being infested by the parasite. It could only mean trouble.

_There's no point in fighting… It's time to bow down to the conquerors of the Lylat System!_

Panther shouted out. It wasn't obviously _he_ who spoke it out. It was the enemy. Trapped in a room and surrounded by infected people, what would the heroes do?

* * *


	5. Escape

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

* * *

**_Chapter 5 - Escape_**

_There's no way out…_

Those words throbbed in Wulf's mind. In front of them was an infected Panther Caroso and behind them were Cornerian dog soldiers slowly being influenced by the parasite preserved in his left arm. He wished to use the parasite's power manifested on that limb, but Bark said otherwise… He couldn't risk himself…

"Don't… be… afraid!" Panther, assimilated by the organic life form, assured them. "Look at me! I've… become stronger… and… I don't feel… any pain! Wolf… and Krystal… come… and join… me!"

Wolf growled with fury, "Don't you dare talk to me like that! You're not Panther! You're that virus who infected him and the rest of the soldiers here!" However, the black feline just laughed with animosity. "Huh...? Panther, snap out of it!"

"It won't work, Wolf," Bark told the wolf as he pulled him by the shoulder. "The one you're talking to is the same Panther Caroso. However, the parasite has influenced his thinking… Think of it like when they infest a machine. They scramble up the form of the object and rewrite its process. These abominations infect a host, and then they influence him. Even if it seems that the organism has controlled the host, that person knows what he's doing." He then glanced at the door. Many infected soldiers were waking up. "All right, we have to get out of here, quickly!"

_I have to think of something…_

His thoughts must be brought out. Wulf removed the bandage of his left arm, revealing his assimilated limb. The Lylatian group, including Panther, was surprised to see it. Bark, however, felt unsure.

"Wulf… are you…"

"I have to…"

Caroso suddenly lunged towards Wulf. The infected soldiers rushed from the door. It was an all-out assault.

"Why… do you restrain… the Zeta Probes… in you?" Panther asked as he clashed his metallic right arm to Wulf's left arm. "You don't… know… what you're… missing…"

Wulf looked at his back. Fox and company were firing shots of their blasters to the soldiers. If any contact was made, it's pretty sure that one of them would be infected. He must think of something to get them out of there.

"Sorry, Panther… but I don't want to play now…"

He thought hard about creating energy from his infected limb. Pain aroused a bit, but after a few seconds, an orb of perpetual energy was generated on his palm. He then hurled it at the unsuspecting panther, pushing him away to the wall, and thus a pathway was created. Everybody moved away to the alternate exit.

"Can… can we at least take him?" Wolf argued to Wulf. "I can't abandon him…"

He nodded. Besides, he knew Panther would be placed inside a safe place. He could be used for observations… Right now, however, escape was their goal. He carried the feline, and then dashed off with the others.

"Garou, hurry up and call Space Den!" Eagle shouted as he saw the number of soldiers chasing them increased. "We can't stay in this place any longer…"

"Gotcha!" the ice wolf replied with grin. He pressed a button on a device on his belt, and immediately, the flagship of Galaxy Wulf named Space Den hovered down. It didn't land, but it was low enough for them to jump on. Everybody swiftly boarded the ship as soon as the docking bay opened.

Falco continued to fire shots while everybody was getting onboard. In fact, he was the last one to get in. "All right, I'll be up there!" he shouted as he kept the dogs at bay. However, one was able to get near him. Lombardi was bitten at his left leg. He kicked the beast and he rushed to the leaving ship.

"Oh no, you have an injury," Krystal exclaimed as she noticed blood dripping from the bird's limb. "We should treat this one quickly! We don't know if that one's infected!"

"We have to move, now!" Bark commanded in a hurried manner. "Garou, Eagle, Lupina, you three go to the bridge and set a course out of this planet. Wulf, you bring Panther to the sick bay. We'll check on him. Star Fox and Star Wolf, you guys follow us." Everybody immediately followed him, and each of them went to their posts.

Inside the infirmary, Falco was recommended to stay at bed with a supersonic stabilizer placed on the injury. Of course, it was treated with medicine and covered with a gauze first. He was put to sleep. Infected Panther was placed into deep-sleep mode inside an embryo-fluid filled capsule.

Wulf looked at Wolf and Leon. He neared to them and spoke in a low tone, "Sorry about what happened… If I told you two about what we're trying to do a lot earlier, then… we could've at least prepared…" However, he only got a cold silent reply from the two. He knew they were sad because they lost a teammate. He felt that it's his responsibility.

"Wait… Wulf, you mean to tell me that these… unknown organisms… infected your arm?" Fox asked for clarification.

"Yes… Well, I was infected… In fact, I was almost under the control of these parasites, and from what Panther told me earlier, they are called Zeta Probes. Even with Anatyde inside my bloodstream, they were able to infect me. Thankfully, Bark was able to cage them in my left arm, and with the stabilizer, the Anatyde in me kept these Zeta Probes away. I can also use their power to create perpetual energy…"

"However," Bark added, "the more you use this energy, the more you are risking yourself to be controlled by these parasites…"

Peppy suddenly got lost. "Wait," he wondered, "what is Anatyde? How did you get them? And… why were you infected?"

"Anatyde is a living metal. It reacts to any electrical pulses, mainly the brain pulse caused by feelings, and it can generate plasma. That's how it got its alias, the living metal. I got myself in an accident in an Anatyde mine, and I was injured badly. Anatyde entered my wounds, and well, I thought I'd die. However, my will to live, a powerful emotion, triggered them somehow to mix within my bloodstream. I was still prone to poisoning, though, so Bark performed an operation at me, causing the Anatyde and my cells to fuse."

"Let me answer the last question… We had a mission to investigate an abandoned bio-laboratory. The location was in your system. We received information that it was a bio-weapon of some sort created by a syndicate. However, that syndicate was wiped out… thanks to their bio-weapon, the Zeta Probes… Wulf investigated the place alone, but he… Anyway, Anatyde makes him immune to any infestation whatsoever, but with these parasites infecting him, it is made clear that we're facing a deadly threat…"

Wolf and Leon just exited the place after listening from the two's explanation. They weren't interested in the mess they ended up. However, something still perked them for not leaving the place.

Slippy gave a relief, "That's a load of info…" He was then surprised after recalling the last statements. "**_Wait!_** You mean to say… Falco… cannot be cured?"

Bark nodded for the response.

"So, you're going to put him inside a capsule too?" Krystal asked. Bark again gave the same response.

**_Hey guys! Go to the bridge! You have to see this!_**

"Trouble… All right… Let's move!"

When they reached the bridge, along with Leon and Wolf, they were surprised.

"Uh, so, Star Fox, we're going to ask permission to you," Lupina whimpered as she pointed at the screen. "The ship shows your emblem! We have to blow that thing up to get to space zone!"

It was sad. They were facing Great Fox! However, that was not the old Star Fox flagship anymore. It's now infected with the Zeta Probes. It didn't have its honorable look now, for it looked like a monstrous vehicle.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Fox asked Peppy, for he was with Great Fox for a long time. "It's the only thing that kept my father's spirit along with us… Now, we're fighting it…"

_Guys…_

Everybody was then taken by the voice. They saw Falco, limping as he entered the bridge. He looked like he was nauseating or something.

_Uh… I tried to get out of… the sick bay… so I won't… touch Panther… but…_

He then yelled out as the stabilizer dropped from his leg. The area of the wound was now a metal-like bracer. Thick wires were ejected from it, and it went up to his torso. His pants ripped off, revealing spiked kneepads and metal shorts. The wires then crawled to his back, and it ejected metal wings, thus ruining his jacket off. As the infection finalized, Falco's now an infected avian with deadly wings and a helmeted head.

"This is trouble," Wulf thought to himself as he unleashed his neutron blade. "I mustn't use my left arm…" He then commanded to the others, "You take care of the enemy ship, I'll take care of him! Sorry Fox, but we have no choice! We have to blow it up!"

He stepped forward and grabbed his blaster. "Hey," he commented with a smirk, "if you're going to blow it up, repay me by having fun with him!"

* * *

_Hey! How's it hanging? Sorry for the long talks, okay?_


	6. Out of the Way

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

* * *

**_Chapter 6 – Out of the Way_**

"Set a course on evading the laser attacks! Increase energy output in our shields!"

Bark shouted as he deployed a barrier to protect the crew from any of Falco's attacks. He had to make sure that they wouldn't be harmed by the battle going on behind them, as there's still an enemy they had to confront.

"Sorry Wulf, you have to take care of him," Lupina excused as she braced herself from a powerful shake. "We have to fend off Star Fox's flagship if we have to survive. Any ideas of a weak spot, Mr. Hare?"

"Great Fox was built to withstand powerful attacks, and with the parasite assimilated in it, who knows what could happen," Peppy explained to them. He just noticed Great Fox being damaged by a meteor, destroying its wing. He was taken aghast when the ship was able to rebuild it. "**Did… did you just see that? It… it was able to repair itself!**"

_Thanks for reminding us, Peppy…_

Fox whispered to himself as he was aiming at Falco, who was unstable for a while because of the infestation. Where should he aim him? At the head? At the wings? At the chest? He decided to fire it at the wings, but to his surprise, the metal just absorbed the beam.

"Guys, be careful! Don't let yourself get injured by any means, or else you'll be contaminated too," Wulf warned them. "If we can't stop him, we should disable him." He then felt his left arm aching for a while. He knew it was reacting from the battle he was facing.

_If only I could use my arm… This would end pretty soon…_

"Give… it up!" Falco, the infected blue falcon, jeered as he tried to stand up. "This… whole place… shall be a part of the… Zeta Probes… Otherwise, you'll all going… to die!" He then swooped towards Leon, but he missed. He clung to a wall, focusing on his next target.

"Shit, we have to get rid of this trouble," Wolf growled as he grabbed his taser and fired it to the bird's chest. The metal wire was able to inject to him, so the wolf executed electrocution to Falco. At first, he was able to notice that he was weakening, but then, after a few minutes, the bird was just absorbing the shock therapy.

He jested, "Poor little wolf… not knowing what to do… Always hiding behind his ego, are we, Wolf O'Donnell…" Wolf was surprised to hear him say those words. Suddenly, an electric spark was fired back at him using the taser. Wolf was electrocuted, disabling his ability to move a muscle.

**_It ends here… Wolf, you'll son be a part of the probes…_**

Wires from Falco's body started to crawl to the weapon's cable. It was heading towards the fainted Wolf. However, Wulf quickly cut the cord of the taser, and with his left arm, he grabbed the end that the Zeta Probes crawled out, and rushed to the bird, and he injected it back to the wings. He turned his weapon off and he started to pummel the bird.

"Leon, get Wolf out of here," he commanded as he punched the infested blue falcon with his infected limb. "**LEON****, IF YOU WANT HIM TO LIVE, JUST FOLLOW MY ORDERS!**" His yell was heard even by the crew maneuvering the ship. They too, were getting worried by the battle behind them.

The ship swerved very fast, making Leon and the unconscious Wolf to roll on the floor and hit the wall. Wulf fell down and tramped away from the bird. Falco, who was still clung on the wall, just glanced at them.

"This is… my **opportunity**!" he shouted as he released from his position. He swooped down to the three, who were unable to get up from their position.

**_No…_**

Wulf got up with his neutron blade unleashed. Energy was brimming to his weapon, as if he was sending Anatyde energy to it. He slashed away, making the bird go back to his previous position. He then looked up, and noticed the sprinkler.

_This is it…_

He hurled a grenade, missing Falco. It exploded, and it was a waste… was it?

"Pathetic! You think… you could hit… me?" he laughed as he lunged once more towards Wulf.

The sprinklers were activated thanks to the grenade. The whole place started to shower with water. The wolf looked at Garou, and shouted, "Ice wolf, do your job!"

Garou nodded as he looked at the water showering the bird. The liquid suddenly turned into sharp ice shards. They were hurled at Falco, constantly piercing and freezing him. This gave time for Wulf. He quickly focused his Anatyde energy to his neutron blade, making the laser blade of the weapon larger. He then thrust forward, putting a stop to the bird.

The barrier was shut down by Bark. He approached them, along with Garou.

_Heh… I did it… I was able to stop him without using my infected arm…_

"Wulf, thank goodness you're okay," Bark smiled as he saw the wolf falling down to the floor. He stood up again, laughing. He was exhausted after using Anatyde. "Garou, help Wulf… We can't carry Falco without his help. Leon, bring Wolf to the sickbay with us. Slippy, Peppy, can you operate this thing?"

"Eh, sure, no problem," Slippy smiled back. "The console looks the same anyway."

As they left, Eagle suddenly detected something. "What's this?" he wondered as he placed it on the monitor. "Check this out, a high energy reading from that location is moving fast, and about to…"

"**_Oh no! Hurry! Put up the shields! Evade the quickest way possible!_**" Peppy warned them. Lupina did exactly he told them.

"Shields up, and the boosters are already ready," she complied, "we're evading something, right?"

"Hmm, I don't think so," Slippy told her as he looked at his console. "We're going to lure Great Fox into this high-intensity energy… I hope it works…"

The speeding exit of Space Den was followed by the infested Great Fox. The opposing ship fired lasers, but the shield prevented the damage. It wasn't long before the **_high-level energy_** came and hit the enemy. It was a natural comet, and it's a powerful force indeed. The celestial body completely obliterated the enemy ship, not leaving any trace. The shockwave of the impact gave Space Den a powerful yet tolerable shock.

"It's the R516 Comet, and in my origin planet, it's called the _Wishing Caterpillar_… It was told that when you see that rare comet, you make a wish. It might come true," Eagle explained it to them.

"If that's the case," Peppy nodded, "I guess my wish would be to get the end of this parasite trouble…"

* * *


	7. Hostilities Revisited

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

-0-0-0-

**_Chapter 7 - Hostilities Revisited_**

Wolf woke up inside the sick bay. He suddenly felt that his upper clothing was removed, as he saw them hanging to the side of the bed. Feeling groggy, he wished he could grab them, but he couldn't, so he simply looked around. When he glanced to his side, he saw two capsules filled with liquid. They were Panther and Falco. He felt a small amount of fear crawling through his veins after seeing them. "_I… I could've been one of them,_" he thought as he tried to picture that.

_It' looks like you're awake._

Bark entered the room while brining some medical tools. He placed them to a desk, grabbed Wolf's upper black uniform, and threw it to him. "You don't have to worry. You have no open wounds, and after a scan made to you, you're free from infection." He then grabbed a small tube with holes at the cover and showered some of its contents to the lupine's face. Wolf suddenly sneezed afterwards. "Sorry, I had to give you that. Sneezing, for all I know, snaps a sleepy, nervous person out."

The wolf covered his snout and stood up. After cleaning himself, he growled, "What are you trying to do to us? Why did you have to bring us up here and join your battle?"

The dog simply grinned and turned away to leave. He said while exiting, "If we left you, you're still going to fight down, anyway. Why fight in that condition when you can be here, and still fight? By the way, everybody's at the bridge. You should go there, and it concerns mainly you and your teammates." Wolf was simply thwarted from any objection, so he followed him.

While going down, he put on his black shirt, and then his blue jacket. He realized that he forgot his shoulder pads in the sick bay. "_It's too hot with them on,_" he muttered with a grin. As the doors to the bridge slid away, he was surprised to see everybody circling Leon.

"Wolf," Leon complained as he pushed Slippy away, "they're trying to force me to let them enter Sargasso Space Station! We can't let them go there you know! Besides, it's a confidential place! You know what to do, so tell them that we can't…" He was suddenly cut-off when Wolf replied his answer.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," he muttered as if he didn't care what Leon had said earlier. "It doesn't matter to me, anyway. Just don't blame me if get ambushed by thieves." Galaxy Wulf crew wondered what he meant by that. "What? Don't tell me you don't know… Ah, hell… Sargasso Space Station is a place where criminals took shelter… and I am the lord there."

"But you don't look that tough to be a lord," Lupina suddenly questioned him. Wolf was surprised to be asked by that question, especially from a female one. "Hmm… That means the crooks there aren't dangerous enough to be a threat. Okay, that's our next destination!" She then moved to her seat, asking Fox for the coordinates of the area.

"Eh, don't take her so seriously!" Garou warned the lupine so that he wouldn't lose his head. "She's just being enthusiastic. Trust me. I don't want you to think about that!" However, he still felt that he was offended.

_We'll see… We'll see… No one is going to call me that again… Not Fox… Not a female who has no idea about me..._

-0-0-0-

Sargasso Space Station - it was a place known to be the hide out of many criminals in Lylat. Space Den arrived at the orbiting range of the area, and it was only a few minutes before they reached land. It was rather odd, though, that no attacks were given to them when they were approaching the area. Star Fox knew that anything they saw upon range, which they thought would be enforcers, they would fire immediately. However, that wasn't thought for another moment, as they made a touch down.

"Hmm… A nice place," Bark commented his ironic words as he felt his feet sinking to the dust. "I'm impressed about they're ability to decorate. I wish I could do the same thing." Indeed, the whole place looked like a run-down battleship.

"All right, we should stay close," Wulf told them while keeping his right arm near the holster of his neutron blade. "Just be prepared, okay?" However, Leon and Wolf immediately moved forward, so he yelled, "I said we should keep close!"

"Look at you, giving me orders," Wolf suddenly jeered, making everybody surprised. "Remember, this is my territory, so watch your step!" Leon snapped his fingers, and then men armed with weapons appeared. They were pointing their plasma rifles at Galaxy Wulf and Star Fox.

"Okay, what's this about?" Fox shouted at him. "Can't you see that we're in a crisis? You have to let your ego, which was whipped by a girl, take priority?" Wolf was once more offended. He stepped forward to punch Fox, but Lupina stood in front instead.

"I hate jerks that couldn't face the person they were angry to, and instead, they channel their fury to other people!" she yelled at Wolf while pointing with her index finger. "Ego-whipped? I see… You are too focused in your ego that you think that it is so important! I heard that you're so insecure about being helped, too! That's why I didn't refer to you as a tough person - a person who doesn't rely on pride or ego…"

Wolf, although he was touched, he couldn't take the fact that she was right. His right was getting moist. In anger, he attempted to punch Lupina.

**You don't understand! You will never understand!**

However, she simply caught his punch.

_I understand perfectly…_

She braced for a while before she punched Wolf to the stomach. She continued to punch him to the chest. Afterwards, she kicked him up to the air. He was down, flat.

"Those who rely too much in their ego are nothing more than weak people… You lingered too much in that thought, that you believe that everything around is about being better."

The soldiers around were slightly lost of morale after seeing Wolf being defeated. One of them commanded to assault Star Fox and Galaxy Wulf, but their attempt to rain them with lasers was halted when Leon ordered them to stop.

"All right, you win," the chameleon spoke out in a very low tone. "Follow me… but, help me carry Wolf."

-0-0-0-


	8. Space Station

**_Parasite Awaiting_**

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, but I own Galaxy Wulf.

-0-0-0-

**_Chapter 8 - Space Station_**

Thirty minutes had passed since Galaxy Wulf and Star Fox, along with Wolf and Leon, arrived at the space station near the planet Sargasso. The group remained there, trying to figure out what to do in the crisis that just occurred at Corneria. They also remained alert, as the whole place was a hide out for criminals who were left uncaught.

"Ten minutes from now," Bark reported while showing a graphical image of a planet being engulfed with violet color inside a yellow-colored camp, "Corneria will be devastated and infested with the Zeta Probes. It will be futile to return there. Until a solution is discovered, we might as well stay here and plan."

"Right," Garou mumbled impatiently. "I might as well join Lupina and that hot chick outside…" He exited the camp, leaving Wulf, Bark, Fox, and Peppy.

"Hot chick?" Fox gave a small giggle. "And I thought Panther was the only one who's after her." He paused for a while, and then continued with a different tone. "Speaking of Panther, what will happen to him and to Falco? Will they remain inside the capsule until we stop the aliens?"

"Sadly, I'm not sure if this is like the Aparoids case," the dog replied and shook his head. "The previous parasite Lylat faced had a weakness - when the source of the Aparoids was destroyed, so did the underlings. I'm not sure if the Zeta Probes follow such effect."

The Lylatians - Fox, Slippy, and Peppy - looked down to the floor. Wulf knew that their hope almost vanished. "Hey, he said he was not sure, he didn't say it won't happen." He removed the bandage on his left arm and told them, "Look at me. I'm infected, but I'm still fighting my way for a cure."

The frog smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right. Although you weren't contaminated much because you have that Anatyde thing, you gave us some light." He then stood up and stretched his arms. "Well, I'm off for some exploring."

"Careful now, Slippy," Peppy warned him. "Even if we're allowed to stay here by Leon, we don't know exactly if the other crooks want to see us." He nodded and left the room. The rabbit looked down and sighed, "Hmm… Yeah, it is kind of boring in here. I think I'll follow him…" He followed the toad who exited the place.

Fox recalled what happened earlier. "That Lupina… She only punched Wolf, while I almost got severed during my past encounters with him," he mumbled loud enough for Wulf to hear. He thought that he might give a wrong idea, so he added, "Uh, it's nothing! I'm just hoping that what she did was enough for him to snap out…"

"I think I know what he feels," the handicapped wolf replied as he wrapped his left arm once more. "He thought that he had done nothing to save his teammate. He believed that he and his team were dragged into the mess forcefully. Finally, he reckoned that he was starting to get weak, at least towards you… You've been doing many heroic deeds lately, and he had flunked about many times… His pride got hurt, and so he waited for an opportunity. When Bark commanded for a landing here, he realized that he had an advantage - he owns this place, for he could command people here."

The dog suddenly squeezed in the conversation. "That's why, before waking him up, I thought of making him hot-headed. I told Lupina to play with his temper, and well, you know what happens next…" He looked at the two, who were slightly grinning at him. "What? We need not to be prideful at this time, and so I had to remove his ego. Believe me… That was the mildest way I could think of. I didn't want to go to the extremes." He then chuckled for a bit before advising them. "I suggest you two to relax while you still can. We need leaders like you two. Go out and enjoy! Don't worry about me. I'll fix this place up before leaving…"

The two looked at each other before agreeing. They both stood up and left the tent.

-0-0-0-

"Krystal, stand back!"

Lupina told her as she swiped her knee towards two monkeys. "You perverts, trying to peek in women!" The two were flung away, as if a powerful swoop advanced towards their cheeks. They were lying on the ground with their bleeding noses and bloated faces. "Criminals these days… They don't know when to respect the ladies!"

"That was nice of you, Lupina," she smiled back while touching her chest for a bit, "but don't you think that that was a bit too much? I'm not trying to be a pacifist though." The she-wolf smirked for a while before dusting her legs.

_"Hey, don't wander around here, okay? There are dangerous people around here!_"

Somebody suddenly cautioned them from afar. That person caught up with them after a moment. It was Garou, and he was shocked to see the two crooks knocked down to the floor. "Whoa… So much for the warning…"

"These outlaws don't know anything about martial arts. They rely too much in their weapons," Lupina concluded as she swung her long black hair. "Anyway, since you've been here, Krystal, do you know by any chance where the heck Star Wolf stays?"

"I haven't seen the place during our mission," she answered keenly, "but I do remember seeing Leon going to that spot earlier, when we were fixing up." She pointed a white dome structure with two flashing poles. By the looks of it, it was uninviting yet a decent place to hide.

Garou smacked his hands together and growled, "Well? What are we waiting for? We don't want the ice to melt, now do we? Come on!"

The three headed to the said structure, knowing that their visit might be unwanted.

-0-0-0-

"Looks like we have company," Leon told the lupine, who was inside a room with some sort of training equipment lying around. "Should I shoo them off, decimate them, or greet them?"

"Let them in. I don't care. It's not that something won't happen or anything if we don't let them in," Wolf roughly replied as he punched the red bag once more.

The door slid upwards, allowing Lupina, Krystal, and Garou to enter the place. They were surprised to see the entrance hall. It was simple yet clean - the walls were white, there were potted plants, and there were seats. You wouldn't recognize it as a home of a criminal. They walked forward to the only opened room, and they saw the two.

Wolf, who was only wearing his black pants, was easily pictured - he was sweating, with perspiration dripping on his bulky body. Leon was in his full -body suit made of strong spandex. It seemed he was simply inside a home.

"What do you want?" the alpha wolf, a person who didn't like entertaining guests, gruffly growled at them. "You want to punch me again? Sorry, but I'm too busy."

Lupina was about to jump at him and kick his face, but Garou held her back. "Umm, let me try this one, okay, Lu?" he smiled at her. He then faced at him and scratched the back of his head. "Err… Yo! You see, we need some help, and maybe you and Leon could be some help?" He knew well that that act was completely pathetic.

"You need to do better," Leon grinned with a sign of insult. "We are not teachers in a class who are about to excuse a failed student."

"Um," Krystal tried to convince them, "why don't you join us?" She took a deep breath and continued, "Don't you think it's rather futile not to assist us? I mean, pretty much later, you're going to fight these parasites, so why not help us now?"

Lupina suddenly added, "Or are you a coward? You're hiding your fear beneath that gruff look and tough physique…" Krystal and Garou were surprised to hear her say that.

"_I'm… I'm not afraid… No… I'm not…!_"

Wolf's voice echoed the room. He took off his eyepatch, revealing a scarred left eye. Unlike the right one, it had a green iris. "I'm… I'm not like before! I'm not showing fear! See? Can't you see?" he shouted back while gripping the eyewear tightly. His voice was fainting, then. "No… I'm not… like… before…" Tears slowly crawled out from those eyes of his. "No… there's no more… Pigma's gone… I… I won't… I won't be afraid anymore… **NO!**"

-0-0-0-


End file.
